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Are Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes Scams?

How PCH Works and How to Know If You've Really Won

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Image (c) Cultura RM/Ian Spanier/Getty Images

By

Updated April 13, 2018

Everyone's heard of the million-dollar sweepstakes SuperPrizes from PCH, but can you trust them? Are they worth the effort of entering? Are PCH Sweepstakes real or scams?

Has Anyone Ever Really Won?

Some people worry that because they don't know anyone who's ever won, the prizes are never awarded and that PCH sweepstakes are frauds. Others can't imagine how a company could legitimately give away such big prizes on a regular basis and still stay in business. But neither of these issues mean that PCH is a scam.

If it would make you feel better to have at least one winner identified, meet . She was skeptical at first, too.

"I was a little suspicious because I'd received the letter from Publishers Clearing House, but I was trying not to get too excited," Bostelman told us. "So they arrived at my business and surprised me with the big check, the champagne, the flowers, and the balloons. I fell down on the ground and screamed like a fool."

Still in doubt? The lists recent winners and you can watch on YouTube.

People Really Do Win Prizes From PCH Sweepstakes

The good news is that Publishers Clearing House's sweepstakes really are legitimate. The bad news is that it is extremely hard to win their mega prizes. It's really, really, really hard.

PCH runs a variety of big that give away millions of dollars every year. Those prizes are fairly awarded as advertised. But the PCH giveaways are so famous and so many people enter them that the odds of winning are exceptionally long—about 2.4 billion to one to win the SuperPrize.

Your odds of winning a Powerball jackpot are better. You are also significantly more likely to die in an asteroid strike, become a movie star, or be drafted by the NBA.

PCH receives millions upon millions of entries. The are usually the ones with very little advertising.

Beware of Sweepstakes Scams Pretending to Be From PCH

Although PCH's sweepstakes are legitimate, you'll still want to be very cautious if you receive a from PCH. Scammers try to seem more legitimate by sending letters or emails that claim to come from Publishers Clearing House. These scams can look official, but they're not backed by PCH.

If you receive a "win" notification from Publishers Clearing House, ask yourself a few . Do you remember entering this sweepstakes? Is the sender really Publishers Clearing House? Check the email address, telephone numbers, and names to see if they look legitimate, then double-check them against the PCH information that's available online.

Is the sender asking for money, a credit card number, or a bank account number? Some seemingly odd things when you win a sweepstakes, but others are not.

If you're still unsure, Publishers Clearing House has a toll-free number that you can call to verify any win letter you receive from them. Call 1-877-3SWEEPS (1-877-379-3377) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. to check if you've really won.

If you've received a sweepstakes spam phone call claiming to be from Publishers Clearing House, the Federal Trade Commission advises that you hang up immediately and to them.

Is It Worth Your Time to Enter PCH Sweepstakes?

There are some good reasons to add PCH's giveaways to your . PCH offers truly life-changing prizes that are fun to dream about winning. And although the odds are extremely long, at least you don't have to pay to enter the way you must with .

And remember that you don't have to win a SuperPrize to benefit from PCH giveaways. Aside from their multi-million-dollar giveaways, Publishers Clearing House also offers several other drawings and many of them have better odds. gives away prizes every few minutes, and PCH Games lets you win prizes and tokens just for playing online games.

On the downside, PCH sweepstakes take quite some time to enter, and you might receive unwanted mail. You'll have to take even more time to from them. Weigh whether a slim chance of winning an enormous prize is worth the trouble of entering and managing unwanted marketing contact.

If you'd like more information about how to get in touch with PCH, how to unsubscribe from unwanted emails, and how to get more answers to your questions, Publishers Clearing House has a whole list of .